Monday, August 09, 2010

Good News for American Wolves

Wolves have been nearly extinct in the USA, but they have come back over the last decades thanks to rules saying they are endangered and thus making it illegal for humans to hunt them. Encouraged by the growing number of wolves, law makers had decided to allow for wolf hunts in two states, while protecting them in a third. A federal judge has now ruled that the law did not permit this, if a species is protected in one state, it is to be protected in other states as well. Wolves are thus yet again put on the list of endangered species in the states of Idaho and Montana, just as they have been in the state of Wyoming.

Despite the ruling, the state of Idaho has declared it will seak federal approval for wolf hunts. Ranchers are in favour of these hunts, because they are affraid the wolves will threaten their livestock. I sure hope there will be no wolf hunts. Hunting wolves are barbaric, since it is not done for the meat or any other parts of the prey, but simply out of jealousy for the prime hunting skills of the wolves as the wolves can compete with humans over killing the livestock that humans consider their own.

I say that if you want to protect your livestock from wolves, go get some big herding dogs instead, dogs who protect the livestock from the wolves, like they do in southern Europe. This way, wolves, livestock, dogs, and humans can coexist.